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Advice on night feeds!!!

Hi all.

Well the twins are now nearing 11 weeks old and are settling in nicely but we do have one problem still - night waking.

They were on 3 hourly feeds and that has now moved on to 4 hourly so we are on 7am 11am 3pm 7pm - then we let them sleep usually until about 12.30 - 1.30am where they then get fed again, they also keep waking at 4am ish which is now only a soothe / water is offered, no milk...

My question is should we wake them at 10/11pm for the feed or should we carry on letting them sleep until they wake in the early hours???

Hiya, I never did a dream feed. I just went by my LO. I figured that if she was hungry she'd wake up and let me know. I thought this way she would learn eventually to sleep through, plus I hated waking her.

Eventually the gap between night feeds got longer but the day feeds were still 3-4 hourly.

Lots of people do dream feed but I was worried that he would still wake up in the early hours anyway.

Hi!
With my guys, we kept the 10pm/11pm feed, giving them as much as they could take and did the 'letting them sleep' after this one, pushing them to drop the 1/2am feed and sleep through until 4/5am. We felt this was better for us, as it was better to feed them and then all bed down together rather than have to wake up again just after midnight. It took a good few weeks, but after stretching that sleep out, they managed at around 4 months old to sleep through from 11pm to 6am without feeds.

Hi Sazzle, it sounds like you're doing an amazing job and the twins are in a fantastic pattern! (I'm jealous as our feeding was 2.5-3hrly during the day until 6 months, nightmare!)

In desperation I tried a dream feed for a few weeks as mine would wake around 1.30am and then at 4am for the day. It didn't really work for us as I was forcing myself to stay awake until 10.30ish and they would still wake again anyway. They have always been early risers (sadly!) but eventually at around 9 months the 4am started to become later.

You're doing the right thing just offering water at 4am, the next step is to withdraw that and just do a quick comfort and resettle - but it depends on the baby and the sleeping arrangements. One of mine would easily go through until 6am but we really had to work hard on the other one to encourage her to self-settle. It definitely pays off in the long run, but it can be a difficult process.

Sazzle, or should I call you super mum, because that is what you are. We tried the dream feed for a few days and for some reason it did not work for my twinnies.

I looked back through my feeding diary (kept one since day one) and worked out that Oscar starting sleeping through the night exactly a week after we started feeding solids, and Emilia did the same about 4-6wks later, though she went down to one night feed only at about 1pm.

I know it is hellish frustating, because everyone else seems to have babies that sleep through the night (or rather I could only see those people, just like I only see people with 21" waists, not the ones with the normal 30+" waists!). I thought my 2 would never sleep for more than 5hrs. But it WILL happen, I promise. I suspect however, you may need to wait until they go onto solids. Have you spoken to your HV about when she thinks would be the time to start that. We started dead on 16wks (the minimum advised) and it really did make all the difference.

I would try the dream feed and I really hope it works for you. I admit we probably gave up a bit early because I could not stay awake until 10pm/11pm, I was happy to collapse in bed at 9 and then get up at 1am and back up at 6ish. I think every baby is different, I just hope it works for both of yours, so fingers crossed.

Be strong lovely Sazzle. The day will come when you are lying in bed in the morning waiting for them to waken up so you can give them a cuddle because you miss them. I bet you are shaking your head reading that statement by the way, I know I would have at 11wks. But it will happen!

We also tried the dream feed as apposed to waking them a few weeks ago. That worked in as much as they didnt wake up but they still proceeded to wake at 1ish and then 4ish!! So we binned that idea and let them wake naturally at whenever o clock!

Oliver has slept for 9.5 hours one night so I know he is cabable of doing it and equally Maisy has gone for 7.5 hours BUT its not consistent.

Last night for example Bath and bottle and in bed by 7 settled and asleep by 7.45 - but Maisy (who is a slow feeder) had not finished one bottle all day she only takes about 3 oz per feed which I know is not enough but dont know what to do about it?? (any suggestions!?) she woke at 11 which is early they usually go until 12.30 at the earliest, but obviously she was hungry - or so I thought she took 2oz and was zonked again! Oliver then woke at 2am and took a full 6oz and settled back in bed, Maisy then woke at 4am and would not settle didnt want the water that was offered and I ended up making up 3oz which she took and went back to sleep. Oliver (who would normally wake at around 4ish went on until 6am but wouldnt settle so I ended up giving him and Maisy who had also woken by then their 7am feed at 6.30 which is fine... Does this sound normal then??

I think I am so used to lack of sleep now it has become a way of life and Jannie your right about waiting for them to wake (in the end) In a weird way I will miss getting up!! But DF who has a stressful job and drives a lot of long distances is getting annoyed now with the constant waking. I will add that now I mainly do the feeds and settling but if both wake and are crying he has no choice but to help. We are going to move them into the nursery and into their own cots next weekend, so they will nearly 3 months then and see if this makes any difference (probably just for me - I will end up sleeping on the floor in there!)

Long time no speak but I have just got 5 mins to myself!!! MY 2 are 6 months now but as they were premature are 3 months corrected age and they have been sleeping through for about the last3 weeks. I am not sure how we have done it we have just followed thier lead. They came home from hospital on 3 hourly feeds day and night and I was exclusively breasfeeding but this soon became too much and we gradually introduced bottles after about 6 weeks. A couple of weeks after this they both dropped the midnight - ish feedand just woke ataround 3am,this feed has gradually got later and later and now they wake at around 6.30am and are fed atabout 7am. I am still feedling them 3 hourly during the day as my (very old school) HV insists that if you get enough in them during the day they will not wake on a night.

We have in the last fortnight started to introduce solids but as yet this has not made much difference to any of thier routine.

Hi Lola yes long time indeed, I'm glad things are going so well for you and your sons - I remember when they were born - so early the little mites and yet now 6 months on (where does time go??) they are thriving. Its good to hear x

Everything is going great here. My two have just started really interacting, they would give us the odd smile and vacant stare for a while but now they are looking at us animated and happy and smiling giggling etc it is so lovely to see. They also spend a lot of time looking at each other and Maisy is forever trying to grab her brothers hand!! Some days its a struggle when Im on my own and not going out, dual feeding is getting trickier as they wriggle around so much!! But all in all they are great and I couldnt imagine life without them now xxxx

Hello lovely Sazzle. I had the same issue with Emilia, she just did not seem to take in enough milk, but all of a sudden she would have a few days of good feeding, then back to bad feeding. I spoke to HV and she said so long as she was hydrated and putting on weight I should not worry too much. However, I know that is easier said than done. Put your mind at rest and call the HV and see what she says to you. BTW, Emilia took to solids immediately (even though we started early to regulate Oscar's weight as he guzzled his milk, so HV recommended veggies as they had less calories. But Emilia seemed to get more benefit and her appetite really increased (I think she was bored with milk!). She still takes very little milk, but I just make sure her solids are packed full of vitamins and minerals, so she hopefully gets everything she needs from her food and not milk, as she only takes about 5oz of milk a day in total now. Speak to HV what she thinks about you moving to solids at 16wks (which I know seems like an eternity away) because I promise you, that will really help their sleep patterns.

You poor soul, up so many times and I am sure your DH is also suffering from juggling a job and sleepless nights too. Could you maybe get one baby up, feed, then wake the other, so at least you are not up just every couple of hours, it is more like every 3 or 4.

Another thought, have you started using faster flowing teats. It may speed up feeding. I know Mr & Mrs C mentioned the difference they saw in feeding times when they moved to faster flowing ones.

Please please please don't end up sleeping on the floor in the nursery. You really need to get some sleep. Gosh I wish I could come and help, because I know I was at my wits end at times and just could not see there would be light at the end of the tunnel.

We moved them onto faster flowing teats at 7 weeks!!! I think Maisy is just a lazy girl and can't be bothered half the time. Funnily enough she has had a good couple of days and is taking more milk so like you said its swings and roundabouts!!

So did you start solids at 16 weeks then? Was it just baby rice or porridge or did you go for it?

Last nights update - Maisy woke at 12.30 Olly at 1 then Olly again at 4 and he basically wouldnt really settle until 6when he fell back to sleep properly and then I had to wake him for breakfast!! Maisy woke at 6 when her bro dropped off!!! I made her wait half an hour and then fed her..... so it goes on.......

One thing about weaning early, it doesn't work for all babies! My friend started weaning at 16 weeks and now at almost 19 months he still doesn't sleep through. Also Greeny's LO is 1 now and has been weaning for 6 months and she still has sleepless nights. Not all babies are the same.

It sounds like M is grazing a bit rather than taking a good feed. Do you feed on demand or have set feeding times? It could be that she alsohas a smaller appetite. They're like us, sometimes they're hungry and other times they're not. I found that my LO had a growth spurt at about 12 weeks which will make them want more too.